Locking sectional handle



April 30, 1946. E. J. MASON LOCKING SEGTIONAL HANDLE Original Filed Aug.2, 1943 /lA/l//l//////////////////////MA J INVENTOR E? ::sr J. MflsMRessued Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE Original No.2,371639,

rial No. 497,009, August 2,

1946, Serial No. &17,286

reissue February 13,

1943. Application tor 2 Claims. (c. 16-125) This invention relatesgenerally to handles and more especially to handies for tea kettles,coffee pots, pails and other oontainers having a wire or like ball andupon which is mounted a han gripping portion termed a handle. I

The present invention is an improvement upon that illustrated, describedand claimed in Patent No. 2,319,147, dated May 11, 1943. In thispatented structure the handle is sectionalized in that it consists oftwo identical half handles, each having a bail groove, a looking tongueto one side thereof, and a looking groove to` the opposite side thereofand spaced a like distance from the bail' groove, all grooves andtongues extending longitudinally of the handle, the half handles beingassembled upon a bail, or together by end to end telescopic associationof the looking tongues and grooves only and from either end.

The present invention is similar, except the half handles cannot beassembled from either end, but only from one end for obvious reasons.

The ormer handle was capable of ormation from various materials andreadily lent itself to formation in long lengths (subsequently cut tohandle length) by extrusion or by routing, etc., if formed from Wood orfibrerod stock.

Due to the reentrant character of the neck' of the looking tongue andthe restricted throat of the looking groove, molding Was very slow andexpensive and required multiple, collapsible dies, difiicultto obtainand expensive to maintain.

The handle of the present invention has as its chief objective, first,the automatic looking together of half handles when longitudinallybrought together and, second, the rapid molding and ejection of the halfhandle from a simple die structure. This patentable improvement over thepatented handle, accordingly, under present priorities permits the useof phenol-condensation material (not subject thereto) and which cannot`!oe used in an extrusion device.

The chief feature of the present invention consists in making each ofthe looking tongues and grooves of said patented identical half handlesof longitudinally tapering type which, when longitudinally assembled,wedge lock together, and which, when formed as by molding, may bereadily ejected from a partable mold, one part thereof being slidablerelative to the other, all as hereinafter pointed out. i

Other objects and features of the invention will be set orth more fullyhereinaiter. Also, mention of phenol-condensation material is by way ofexample only and not one oi restriction.

The tull nature of the invention will be under- 'ing iron or side wallof stood from the accompanying drawing and the following description andclaims.

In the drawing,

Fig; l is a side elevation of a handle 'embodying the invention appliedto an ofiset portion of a bail (see dotted lines) or a cofiee pot orSmoothing iron handle (see full lines) Fig. 2 is a central sectionalView through the handle and handle support.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of handles.

For reasons assigned hereinbefore, the patented handle, while quiteadvantageous and desirable, has certain inherent objections orshortcomings principally in its fabrication in a mold and itsnon-looking when applied, whereas the present invention, while retainingmost of the advantages of such patented handle and elirninating theinherent objections and shortcomings thereof, does not appear capable offabrication in long units for subsequent reduction to shorter lengths,as by extrusion or routing, etc.

In Fig. 1, `0 indicates the top shell of a Smootha coee pot andextendthe similar half ing therefrom are arms supporting portion I2.

bucket or the like, portions l l may be oppositely directed as at I l 1(see dotted lines). This forms a handle locating offset portion in theresulting bail.

Herein the handle proper includes two similar and complementary halveswith a central plane of contact l4. The exterior may be slightly reducedat opposite ends as at !5. It is for this reason, among others that thepresent invention does not readily lend itself to continuous extrusionor reduction abrication. However, it does lend itself to expeditiousrepetitious molding production.

Each half handle !3 has a semi-circular crosssectioned (if desired)median groove e extending longitudinally thereof and same nests the baiicentral portion l2. Midway between the groove IS and each side edge l'l'is a Iongitudnally directed locking formation, the general direction ofwhich is parallel to the groove IG and hence parallel to each other. Itis not necessary that such fon-nation be equidistant from the side edgeand groove !6, but it is essential that the formations be spacedequidistant either from the side edges l'l or the groove IS.

Herein such ormations are formed upon the face M and are ofcomplementary character, that is, one is a groove I& and the other is atongue IS.

The exact cross-sectional area and/or Outline ll connected by handle VWhen used for a pailf !4, however, the tapers are reversedandareidentioal as illustrated in Fig. 3. t Hence, when onecomplementary half handle 13 is held below portion I2 with same seatedin ba] groove IS, the other half handle must have its smaller end of thetongue l9 presented to the' wider end of the looking groove !8 intheformer half handle and vice versa for the other cooperating pair oftongue and. groove formation. Then the said other handle is sldlongitudinally of the said former half handle, movement thereof beinglimited by portions ll, until thetapered walls of the tongues !9 andgrooves 18 frictionally bind. When so bound together, the complementaryhalf handles are Wedge locked together in place on bail portion I 2 andmay rotate thereon if desired.

To fabricate such ahalf 'handle in the mold structure requires at leasta two-part mold each forming one half of the generally semi-circularexterior and the faoe |4-with the tapered groove forming core, or thesame with the oppositely tapered tongue forming groove After moldingeach mold part may be pulled longitudnally in the direction to free themold portion from the resulting half handle. This assumes taper is notprovided on the handle.

When same is to be emboded, a three-piece mold may be used, the mainportion being socketed for forming the desired exterior surface and theother two parts forming the face 14 with groove IG therein and groove IBforming core and tongue |9 forming groove. Then these two parts arepulled lengthwise and oppositely thereby exposing face M. Then a portionin the well of the main mold portion may eject the half handle laterallyof said main mold portion. A two-piece mold with half the exterior andhalf the bore on each part can also be used. Molds of the two-piece andthree-piece character suitable for phenol-condensation product moldingarewell known, henoe are not illustrated heroin. i

For either type of half handle, molding With slip molding portions is.required byvreason of the tapered exterior character of said handles andalways by reason of the restricted threat 20 and the reduced neck 2l, inorder to eject the half handle or free it from said mold.

It is to be observed that to connect two complementary and. similar half`hand1es, it is merely necessary to invert one and then turn it end forend so that the small ends of the tongues confront the large ends of thelooking grooves. Then, sliding both together or one. on' the other withthe bail l2 in the resulting complete groove 16 serves to mount andconnect the half handles upon the bail and together respectively."Jamming the wedge iormations together then looks the parts in theserelationships.

While the invention has been. illustrated and described in great detailin the drawing and 5 foregoing description, the same is to be consideredas illustrative and not restrictive in charaoter.

The several modifications described heroin, as 'well ;as others whichwill readily suggest themlO selves to persons skilled in` this art, allare considered to be within the broad scope of the invention, referencebeing had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is: 1. A handle for a bail, including twosubstantially similar half handles, each having a.

,longitudinal bore therethrough, the half handles Whenass'ociatedtogether forming a complete bore for bai'l aocommodation, each handle atone side of said bore: and in the confronting face 20 being providedwith a looking tongue par'allel to the bore axis and substantiallycoextensive with the handle, there being a complementary 'locking grooveparallel to the tongue and the bore in that face andspaoedequidistantfrom the bore axis and .at the opposite side thereof fromsaid tongue, the tongue of one half handle seating in the looking grooveof the other .half handle, each looking groove and tonguebeing' longi'-tudinally tapered, the two taperings being oppo- .30 sitely directed ineach half handle and'identical.

2. A handle for peripheral embracement of and longitud'nallocking'upon.. a bail including 'two substantially similar half?handleseach half handle having a face provided with a long-itudinagroove positioned midway in that face and extending the full length ofthe half handle,`the grooves when the half handles are faced and lockedtogether forming a bore forbail accommodation, each half handle at oneside ofsaid 40 bore forming groove and spaced from said bore and theadjacent longitud'nal edge of the face including' longitudinallydirected tongue means, substantially coextensive with the: half handle,said tongue means remote from said face having a greater transversewidth than immediately adjacent the face to form a looking tonguethereon, said face having, opposite the tongue and spaced from the boreforming groove a like distance therefron as the tongue is spa'cedtherefrom, a1o'cking groove parallel to the bore'grcove and the lookingtongue and having a wall 'arrangeme'nt in transverse sectionsubstantially complementary to the tongue cross-section, 'the lookinggroove being but -slightly larger than the tongue for longitudinal sltfit association of the half handles and' frictional retention in handleformation about the ball, the looking tongue of one half handle beingreceived by the looking groove of 'the other half handle and thelockingtongue ot the last mentioned half handle being received by thelooking groove in the said last mentioned one half handle, each lockinggroove and tongue means being tapered longitudinally, the tapering ineach half' handle being oppositely directed and identical ther-ein.

E/RNSTVJ. Meso NL

